Bath & Body Works Cotton Blossom Splash : Fragrance Review & Poll

If you enjoy musky floral fragrances like L’Artisan L’Été En Douce (Extrait de Songe), Philosophy Inner Grace or Le Labo Ambrette 9, Bath & Body Works Cotton Blossom will be a lovely discovery. I already reviewed a few BBW fragrances, and as I mentioned before, exploring the collection is very enjoyable. While the fragrances are not particularly complex, they have a cheerful simplicity and an impressive diversity. I really think that anyone can find at least one fragrance to enjoy in the BBW lineup. So far, my favorite choices have been Velvet Tuberose, Twilight Woods, and Moonlight Path. Cotton Blossom is my most recent discovery– a sophisticated soft orange blossom composition that I would reach for whether it came in a bottle from L’Artisan or from BBW. The price point of $10.50 for an 8 ounce bottle does not hurt either.

The most appealing aspect of Cotton Blossom is a lovely plush softness, which invariably makes me think of fluffy terry cloth towels and other such clean, comforting associations. The floral heart of sheer rose and orange blossom is accented with green notes and orange, while the mellow drydown of musk and heliotropine further explores the idea of a tender, caressing sensation. The effect of Cotton Blossom is between that of a soft floral musk like Marc Jacobs Splash Cotton and the lush orange flower notes of Rochas Tocade.

While it is a rather simple composition, it has a suave, gentle character, which makes Cotton Blossom quite versatile. Those who do not like the powdery, hazy notes will probably not find Cotton Blossom appealing. I only wish that it came as an EDT, because its light body splash formulation has rather poor tenacity. Overall, however, Cotton Blossom is a great example of a fragrance that smells much more expensive than it really is.

29 Comments

LadyShine: My current favourite from B&BW is Sea Island Cotton, but have been thinking about testing Cotton Blossom — now I’m convinced I need to! 🙂 March 23, 2011 at 10:10amReply

Elizabeth: Cotton Blossom! I’ve had a bottle since I was seventeen! Bath and Body Works used to make a body oil formulation of this (in a frosted glass bottle) with better lasting power. They also had a peony scent that I liked very much. Both are gone. I miss them! March 23, 2011 at 10:27amReply

Jen: The only one I really like is Japanese Cherry Blossom but I haven’t tested anything in awhile. I do like their Sandalwood Vanilla wallflowers. I wish they made it as a scent. March 23, 2011 at 12:11pmReply

maggiecat: I like the Kitchen Spice and Creamy Nutmeg wallflowers, and the anti-bacterial hand soaps are deligthful (and useful during flu season!) I enjoy a number of their scents personally as well, and the True Blue hand and foot care items are also amazing. Good pricing, friendly service – not all of their scents work for everyone, but the store is definitely worth (frequent) visits! March 23, 2011 at 1:52pmReply

KathyT: I have 2 young daughters, so we are covered up with BBW products at my house. The girls are big fans of Sweet Pea, Cherry Blossom, and Sea Island Cotton, and I like White Citrus and Rain Kissed Leaves in the bodywash. I really like Cotton Blossom too, and I will restock when they bring it back to the stores in June. I wish that they would bring back Velvet Tuberose too so that I don’t have to sneak little sprays from my daughter’s bottle. I have small bottles of Cherry Blossom and Moonlight Path stashed in my car for freshening up because they are so pleasant and light. March 23, 2011 at 2:19pmReply

Victoria: I haven’t tried Sea Island Cotton yet. BBW collection is so large, sometimes I find myself overwhelmed by it, so I try it in increments. So, I am curious what others like. March 23, 2011 at 10:25amReply

Victoria: The body oil sounds great. I tried Cotton Blossom at my gym one day, and my first thought was of a lighter version of Rochas Tocade or perhaps Armani Code. I love these kind of soft, warm orange blossom scents. March 23, 2011 at 10:31amReply

julie: I started using BBW stuff back in high school (and that was a long time ago) – went through many bottles, usually shower gel and body lotion, of freesia, honeysuckle, juniper breeze, seaspray, flowering herbs, coconut lime verbena (still like this one), rice flower & shea, white tea & ginger, white citrus, exotic coconut, etc.
My real favorites are the ones that they discontinue – tangerine spice, white ginger and amber, and rich citrus cream. I still pop in whenever they have their big sale and pick up a few things. March 23, 2011 at 4:02pmReply

Victoria: I liked Japanese Cherry Blossom too, very pretty and uplifting. Anyone who likes fresh citrusy florals should find it lovely. March 23, 2011 at 12:28pmReply

Elisa: I only tried it once, but I was surprised by their Butterfly Flower fragrance, which had a similar effect to Bronze Goddess in my memory, kind of a honeysuckle floral with a warm coconutty note. I’ve been meaning to go back and try it again, and I’ll smell the Cotton Blossom too! March 23, 2011 at 1:10pmReply

Victoria: I like Butterfly Flowers for the first 30min, but then it becomes too musky on me. However, overall it is very pretty, and I can see the link to Bronze Goddess (the new Soleil version is even closer.) March 23, 2011 at 1:33pmReply

Victoria: Oh, thanks, I am not familiar with those products, but I will be sure to try them.
You are right, not everything will work for everyone, but BBW sure has plenty of choices! March 23, 2011 at 2:07pmReply

Victoria: I noticed that they do not carry their full stock year round, although most of it is available online. Maybe, Cotton Blossom was available as the EDT at some point. March 23, 2011 at 2:33pmReply

Marina: I like that Tutti Dolci (?) chocolate scent they used to have, and possibly still have…:) March 23, 2011 at 2:34pmReply

Victoria: Sounds like one of their seasonal scents to me. I really liked their Christmas collection launched last year. For those who love gourmands, it was a nice range. March 23, 2011 at 2:37pmReply

Victoria: I am not familiar with those discontinued fragrances, but they sound so good, especially White Ginger and Amber. Coconut Lime Verbena shower gel is among my favorites. March 23, 2011 at 6:02pmReply

Natalia: I also went through many BBW shower gels, my favorite being White tea & ginger and Coconut lime verbena. I recently got an Orange sapphire one and loved it, also picked up the triple moisture (or something like that) body cream and it layers beautifully with light/citrusy/flowery fragrances. Also, even though it’s rich, it doesnt leave a film on the skin, which their regular lotions seem to do, unfortunately. I have Twilight woods in bath bubbles form and I am so in love with it! Ah 🙂 Never tried their eau de toilettes though, next time will check them out 🙂 March 24, 2011 at 12:24amReply

dee: Throughout my teens, there were always multiple incarnations of B&BW products around the house. It’s actually been a while since I bought anything there (though Love Spell and Twilight Woods did tempt me), but many years ago I went through quite a bit of Plumeria and Moonlit Path (neither of which, by the way, appeal to me now!).

Warum: I did not like Coconut Lime verbena in EDT or body lotions, but I tried Coconut Lime Verbena shampoo and hair conditioner while staying at a hotel and I loved it! Very lovely and gives good volume to my hair. March 24, 2011 at 3:12pmReply

Natalia: My gym seems to sell coffee and smoothies.. Maybe I should give them an idea, we all will benefit 🙂 March 24, 2011 at 3:48pmReply

Victoria: A friend likes to layer Twilight Woods with various florals, and it makes for interesting combinations. I agree, inexpensive treasures are to be cherished! 🙂 I will take Cotton Blossom over L'Ete en Douce any day. March 24, 2011 at 1:25pmReply

Victoria: My gym had plenty of the BBW bath and body products, so I got to try quite a few of them this way. They do seem like good quality products. March 24, 2011 at 1:29pmReply

Victoria: Sounds wonderful! It is now on my to try list. March 25, 2011 at 1:01pmReply

Victoria: The one I used just kept free testers in the showers. It was great. March 25, 2011 at 1:02pmReply

elsie: Sea Island Cotton/Cotton Blossom are among my favorites from BBW – however, aren’t they the exact same scent…? I thought they were uncannily similar. I’ve also noticed several other scents that seem to just get re-named over the years. 😉 I’ve been a frequent user of BBW stuff since I was in probably 6th grade, which was about 18 years ago! My favorites have been Freesia, Plumeria, Flowering Herbs, Sunburst Melon, their Sugarplum fragrance (but only the first year it came out, after that it was tampered with), Sensual Amber (which to me is verrrrry similar to Flowerbomb, at about 1/5 of the price!), and Paris Amour. I think I’m leaving several out but I don’t want to bore! Anyway, I’m really interested to hear whether anyone else thinks Cotton Blossom and Sea Island Cotton are identical scents, just renamed, and whether Sensual Amber smells like Flowerbomb. August 14, 2012 at 11:06amReply

Victoria: Elsie, that makes sense! BBW does that time to time. I haven’t smelled Sea Island Cotton recently, but I remember that it reminded me of Cotton Blossom. I love the whole body product range too. Inexpensive and the scent is so chic. August 14, 2012 at 11:09amReply

Victoria: I only like the cotton blossom and never thought the sea island cotton was near the same.

I just can’t find the body splash anywhere November 8, 2012 at 7:37amReply

honey ryder: Hello I love the way Bath Body Works Sunburst Melon smells Does anyone have any ideas of 2 fragrances I could mix to smell like it?

Kathryn: I cannot bear Cotton Blossom and prefer Cotton. I really don’t think it’s a matter of which is better. It has to do with personal types, which have to be considered in the equation. Cotton Blossom is too girly-girly for me but would be perfect for a young person or Ingenue type woman (of any age). June 14, 2016 at 4:16pmReply

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